Off The Rails
by LilyGhost
Summary: Stephanie's day takes a detour in a way she wasn't expecting which has her appreciating Ranger even more.


**All familiar characters and events belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine alone. **

All the '_always be aware of your surroundings_' training, and the '_you need to be able to outrun a bullet_' cardio, I've done with Ranger kicked in over the span of one eye-blink. I hauled ass out of my car, once I remembered to unbuckle myself from it, and I managed to grab the collar, shoulder, and half the sleeve, of some either crazy or desperate woman's shirt. I put everything I have into yanking her off the middle of the train track whether she wanted to move or not, just as the train's horn caused momentarily-deafness from being so close to where we just were.

"_What the hell were you thinking?!_" I shouted to be heard over the sound of the train continuing on its way without the two of us. "You do realize that trains take a _reeeeeally _long time to stop, don't you? And that's taking into account they actually see you and actively try to put the brakes on before mowing you down."

"_Relax_," the eerily-calm, and likely insane, track-squatter said to me. "I was just about to move when you butted in."

"_Riiiight _... you looked pretty friggin' comfy to me."

I couldn't help but wonder why someone would put that much time and effort into their appearance only to choose to become a train track-statistic before the day was even over. She has perfectly streaked honey-blonde hair, eyes expertly lined in a way I know requires an incredibly-steady hand and more patience than I'll ever have. A handful of stackable rings were purposely slid onto fingers on both her left and right hands. And she's wearing a dark jean/cool boot outfit that looks like it deserves a night out, not to wind up being cut off and discarded after hitting an ER or Medical Examiner's floor.

Plus, it's too beautiful a day to picture someone dying during it, especially right in freakin' front of me.

"I'd already decided today isn't the day," she said to me. "You distracted me for a second. I was surprised you saw me and were able to stop and then run over here so fast. What are you ... some kind of superhero?"

"Nowhere near, but my guy is the closest you'll ever come to one. He's a one-man be-able-to-save-yourself-and-everybody-else guru. He likes passing on his survivalist knowledge to those he cares about. And nice try, but you're not blaming me for you almost getting creamed."

"I wouldn't. I walked myself onto those tracks. I just didn't factor someone like you into either of my plans."

Despite the heart in my chest deciding not to slow down yet, I had to smile. "That's not the first time I've heard something like that. _No one _expects me, but I tend to grow on people pretty quickly ... like a delightfully-amusing fungus. So ... care to tell me why I saw you where I did?"

She shrugged. "It's the same 'ol story ... a girl got born, then girl gets fucked with over the course of her life and wants to end it, but said girl doesn't want them to win ... so she puts it off for one more day."

"Just _a day _... not _indefinitely_?" I asked, gesturing for her to sit with me on the boulder that's conveniently stuck in the field about thirty feet from the railroad tracks.

"It's a day-to-day thing. One day I'm ready to check out and let them scramble to find someone else to torture. And the following day ... I want to prove to everybody that they can't break me."

She doesn't appear to be mentally unstable or even particularly upset, which I took as a good sign despite the moment of her misery I'd walked in on.

"And 'they' _are_?" I asked her, wanting to keep her talking until I had a better idea on how to handle the situation she and I suddenly found ourselves in.

"You name it ... my very-soon-to-be-ex boyfriend, what's left of my family, my boss, my roommate, the guy on my street who keeps being a dick by grabbing his whenever I walk by ..."

I felt myself nodding before I realized I was doing it. "Okay, now you definitely _can't _off yourself. You and I have too much in common for this to be only a one-time meeting ... except for the boyfriend/roommate part. Mine is literally and physically perfect ... and for some strange reason, he loves _me_. I'm _soooo _far from perfect ... my supposed _friends _and family are waiting for the day he corrects that error in his usually impeccable judgment."

"You must do something for him that no one else can, or he wouldn't be with you."

"He claims I make him happy. And ironically enough … I bring him a sense of peace even with all the crazy that's usually circling me."

"Dragged him off a few tracks, did you?"

"In a manner of speaking ... a few tough mental ones. And he's done the same for me. We all have issues and shit to get ourselves through. I'll let you in on the secret I've found to deal with it ... find people who are your kind of weird and hunker in. Helping people you like battle their demons, gives you a reason to keep going while also giving you a support system that immediately kicks in when it's _your _day that turns dark again."

She suddenly went inward and buried her face in her hands for a few beats. She resurfaced with a look I'm all-too-familiar with. She wants to live, but still hasn't found her purpose for doing so. I can help her out with that one, but she'll have to agree to let me first.

"You're lucky," she finally said. "I go home and get a '_Oh ... you actually came back? Why?_' I've learned that spite can get you through _a lot_. If I die, they celebrate. I couldn't let them be that happy today."

"I'm glad you want to deprive them of a party then. How about you take that spite a step further and live a happy life and _really _piss them off?"

"Don't you think I would if I could?"

"I would normally say yes, but I spent a decade sabotaging myself instead of doing what I knew would make me happy. I'd reached a point where I woke up hating just about every minute of being alive, and I went to sleep every night with the same opinion of my life. One day ... I just couldn't do it anymore."

Now it was _my_ turn to take a breath before I continued.

"But rather than kicking rocks on a set of railroad tracks, I made a call to the one person who always rides to my rescue. He, along with his incredible team of people, helped me get started on a future I could look forward to, while subtly showing me who I needed to leave behind with the old unhappy me. There has to be someone in your life that gives you some hope, or just makes you feel happier when you're around them ... a friend, past co-worker, one family member that's less of a douche than the others. Talking to someone 'professional' helps too. It's a much safer space when you know they can't and won't use your family against you."

"My best friend's been that person for me. She used to live almost next door to me, but she moved close to an hour away a few months ago."

"I can take you to see her. If I weren't living with my boyfriend in a place that you need facial recognition to get into, I'd offer to let you hide out for awhile where I was staying. You could've had some relative peace to make plans that have _nothing _to do with trains so I don't have to dread scanning the paper tomorrow. Dropping you off with someone you'll be happy with will make me feel better about this."

"As long as _you'll _be feeling better ... "

I grinned at her. "Oh ... you're a smartass, too? I knew there was a reason I liked you on sight. Come on, I'll give you a ride somewhere. Unless you're hiding a car around here ..."

"I walked. I wanted some time to think."

"Based on the scene I interrupted, I'm not sure if that was a good idea or a bad one."

"I'll let you know tomorrow," she said, getting up to follow me back to where I'd pulled my car over.

Good thing I filled my near-empty gas tank before spotting her. Now I can get her to a different type of safety with no additional stops. Since she wasn't afraid of being shredded by a train, accepting a ride from me clearly didn't register on her danger-meter ... which concerned me all over again. It could've been a serial killer who stopped instead of me. If she's willing to get into a car with _anybody _... that could be a check in the 'taking unnecessary risks' box.

"I know you're just reacting to being stuck in the land of the living with me," I said to her, thankful that my car hadn't been stolen in the few minutes I've been away from it. I didn't exactly have time to think when I had bolted out of it. "But I'm going to hold you to that. Here's my card. I want you to call me to let me know that you're doing okay ... or if you need a job working with better people or have to find an apartment that's jerk-free. You can also call just because you need someone to talk to. I've gone through periods of not enjoying being alive ... and I've also fought like hell to keep myself alive when people were trying really hard to kill me. You could say that I've developed a unique perspective on life and death now."

"You've had more than one person try to kill you? How'd that happen? Maybe I should be asking ... what side of the law do you fall on? I probably should've asked that before buckling myself into your car."

"You definitely should've asked. I'm not most people, so make sure you never do something like this again" I lectured. "But the fact that you're using a seat belt, and are now concerned about my dealings with the law, is promising. I freelance for a security firm, but primarily I'm a bond enforcement agent."

"A bounty hunter? Like on those TV shows?"

"I guess ... I don't watch much TV these days, but I do arrest people who don't really want to go back to jail, who also hang around with some not-so-nice people. So ... where are we going?"

"Freehold. She should be home in an hour or so. I can hang around the coffee shop that's not far from her house."

"Good idea. I could go for a coffee. I'll keep you company until your friend gets home. Having time to think didn't work out real well the last time you had some."

"I told you that I wasn't going to do it today even if you hadn't seen me."

I pointed my vehicle in the right direction and then cut my eyes to her when I had to stop for what I know is just the first of many red lights.

"Once you get to know me," I warned her, "you'll see that it's easier just to humor me than to try arguing. I've worn down a building full of super-tough guys. You'll be a quick sell by comparison. I've already decided I'm going to barge into your life and try to help you like it more. So there's nothing you can do to change my mind. For future reference ... my determination and stubbornness are _legendary_."

"You're also pushy. You know that?"

"Yep. I've embraced it as another one of my more useful traits. So coffee and well-check phone call ... _deal_?"

"Whatever."

Typically, hearing that word makes my teeth immediately crash together in irritation, but her one-word answer lacked attitude, so I took that as a grudging agreement. In anticipation of seeing Ranger soon, I ordered a Café Cubano and then got settled in a cozy little Freehold coffee shop. For the next twenty-minutes, I focused on learning more about Sadie ... even getting a last name out of her, which made me laugh after the hour we've had since her name is _Sadie Stays_.

"Make sure you _do_ 'stay' around, Sadie," I told her, which got me another shrug and a '_Whatever_' response again.

When all there was left were empty cups and crumbs from cookies called '_Pasta Frolla Jam Cookies_', she called her BFF to see if she was home from work and up for a surprise visit. I waited in the driveway until Sadie was hugged and then dragged with enthusiasm inside the cute one-story, red brick and white siding home.

I know you can't save everyone, but I'll always put in the effort to help whoever I can. I backed out of the drive and let Ranger know I'm on my way home.

"I have a meeting with one of my partners in half an hour," he told me. "So I should be home not long after you get there ... since you still have a ways to go before you're back in Trenton. Am I to assume gas stations in Freehold are superior to those in Trenton?"

"Can't say, I'd already filled up before I knew I'd be coming here. Guess my trackers are working?"

"They are. I trusted that if you were in danger, you would've told me."

"I was just helping out a friend who needed to talk and then a ride," I assured him. "I'll tell you about her tonight. You know you get a call from me even if I'm just sitting in traffic and getting annoyed. You'd definitely know if I were in trouble before I even realized it myself."

"Even so, I put the men who are in that area on alert in case they'd be needed."

"You can call them off now. I'm heading back to the Rangeman building, where I'll just be waiting for you to get back."

"When you're actually home, that's when I'll tell everyone they're allowed to relax."

I smiled even though the hands-free communication doesn't have a video chat option just yet, so Ranger couldn't see my grin. Hopefully he can feel it and knows that he inspired it.

"Everyone can relax _except _the guys in our building you mean."

"They love you, Babe. Not as much as I do, but enough to make them not mind being kept on duty 24/7 for you."

"I love you too. I'll see you in an hour."

After I disconnected with him, I got an idea and connected with Ella to find out if I could accomplish what I wanted to do. I likely re-freaked the control room out when I made a pit stop at the Shop & Bag before finally parking myself on seven. Ella come up right after to talk me through the process, but it was important to me that I do all the work myself.

"What did you do?" Ranger asked, an hour and some minutes later.

I kissed him and then held him tight to me for a full four-seconds before answering.

"I made you dinner. Ella supervised, but I cooked the meal all by myself. It's safe to eat, I promise. She took the fish's temperature with a stick-thing and showed me the number before I'd believe her when she said it was out of the danger zone."

Sure ... the salmon was cooked, and the broccoli and red potatoes roasted, on the same sheet pan, using only the oven so there'd be less chance of me screwing everything up. But I still sliced, chopped, and oven-ed, everything that went into the simple dinner. Which counts as cooking in both Ella and Mary Lou's books.

Ranger obviously appreciated the relatively-healthy and surprisingly-pretty dinner. But that I attempted to do something I typically hate every second of trying ... just to show him how much I love him, had Batman risking his salmon getting cold by wrapping his arms around me and tipping his forehead down to rest against mine.

"To what do I owe this honor?" He asked me.

"I want you to enjoy, and always look forward to, the time you and I have together."

"I do. The only complaint I have is that there aren't more hours in a day so I can spend more of them with you."

"Well, I can't do much about the clock ... but over dinner I'm going to share all the reasons why I'm grateful - and thankful - that you chose to save me over and over again."


End file.
